Tanabata Kiss
by Noniway
Summary: Contains possible spoilers for Chapters 699/700, and Naruto: The Last. Light-hearted story of the relationships between Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke, with some other characters as well. Focus on Naruhina.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfiction. I have been wanting to write one for _Naruto_ for quite a while, but decided to wait until the series was finished. I know that some (or all) of my story might be totally nonsensical after _The Last_ comes out. Until then, enjoy! Comments and critiques would be amazing! - Noniway**

It began snowing in the early hours of morning, the first day of December. Large white flakes drifted down to land on tree boughs and power lines alike. The snow fell steadily and silently even into the light of morning and early afternoon. By the time that Hinata woke up, several inches covered everything outside her window.

She lazily pulled herself up off her pillow. With all of the villages still focused on their own internal repairs, and the cold weather, there hadn't been many missions. Hinata had irresponsibly fell into an unusual sleeping schedule. While the rest of her family woke up with the sunrise, she would sleep well past morning training into lunch time. Nobody really cared. The war was still fresh on everyone's mind. Konoha had taken on a new mission; that of healing. All shinobi who played major parts in the ending of the war were encouraged (and sometimes forced) to take some time off to recuperate.

Kiba spent time with his family and Akamaru, "strengthening bonds within the pack," as he had put it. Shino was around, but quiet and reclusive as usual. Lee spent all of his time tending to Gai-sensei, and TenTen had decided to set up a weapon shop. Hinata had tried to spend time with her, but it seemed that Neji's death still weighed heavy on her heart. TenTen seemed to avoid Hinata whenever socially appropriate. Kurenai-sensei was the person she spent most of her time with, helping with the baby and training when there was time.

Choji and Ino spent a lot of time together, and there were rumors of them dating. Shikamaru, of course, frequented visits to the Sand Village as an 'ambassador'. Sai had buried himself in his art. Sasuke had left on a personal journey to find himself. Sakura was trying to make the best of his absence, but was clearly trying to distract herself by working as much as allowed at the hospital. Although Hinata couldn't understand why Sakura was so devoted to the man, she understood what it felt like to love someone like that.

Hinata pulled her legs close as she thought of Naruto.

"I can't even last a few minutes after just waking up without thinking about him…" she scowled.

Normally thoughts of the boy put a smile on her face, but currently she was frustrated. She felt like they had made a connection during the war. Even during the aftermath, he stayed close to her. He stood by her during Neji's funeral. Naruto had even held her hand while she mourned. Hinata really felt like she was starting to get close to him. Sometimes he would stop her in the street to chat, or offer to spar with her. There was the time he had asked to join him at Ichiraku for a bowl of ramen. It had been an especially cold day of October, just a couple months previously. Just cold enough to push her to accept the invitation. They ate quietly with some light conversation. They were so comfortable around each other that Hinata openly laughed at his jokes without feeling self conscious. A pretty big victory, in her book. A perfect night… that quickly became less-than-perfect with a sudden fall storm.

Near-freezing rain pummeled the streets, while the wind whipped Ichiraku's noren in and out of the doorway. The two stood by the door, their stomachs warmed by the miso broth. Hinata glanced outside, not looking forward to the walk home.

"Oi, Ayame-san, is it okay if we wait out the storm-ttebayo?" Naruto asked the woman behind the counter.

"Naruto-kun, you've been our most reliable customer. Stay as long as you'd like!" She winked and then made her way into the back kitchen, leaving the two alone.

Naruto smiled, embarrassed by the compliment. "Thank you!"

Hinata had no problem waiting out the storm. It wasn't particularly late, and she enjoyed the sound the rain made against the roof of the shop. She hummed lightly to herself and closed her eyes, content. Even with her Byakugan deactivated, she sensed Naruto come up beside her. Her heartbeat fluttered, and she tried to fight back the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Thank you for dinner, Naruto-kun…" she said quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Of course! Eating with a friend is always better than eating alone! I'm just sorry that the weather turned bad…" he frowned, "I really wanted to do some night training..."

"I really like the rain…" she said, not wanting him to feel bad about the weather. "It's nature's way of telling everyone to take a break."

"You know, I never thought of it that way. Well, if nature is forcing us to take a break in a ramen shop, what should we do?"

"Well….. we already ate….." HInata would have been content to just sit and enjoy the presence of the rain and the boy beside her, but Naruto was already getting impatient and fidgety. He was looking around the shop for something to do besides wait.

His eyes roamed around the room, but only found the booth and stools. It wasn't a restaurant, just a ramen stand, and wasn't equipped for extended stay. What to do when you don't have much to work with….

"Oi! Ayame-san! Do you have some string back there?" He called.

Hinata was startled by the sudden outburst, but recovered quickly. She watched as Naruto approached the booth and craned his neck to see into the kitchen. Her eyes took the opportunity to take in the muscles in his arms as he propped himself on the counter, up to his shoulders, down his back and downwards to his very enticing….

He suddenly turned to face her, "Let's play ayatori, dattebayo!"

Hinata made eye contact with him and froze. She felt the blood rush to her face, and stammered out, "S-sure!"

Naruto smiled and beckoned her to sit at the booth with him. "You always look like you're thinking of something, I wonder what it is..?" he teased. Her face got even redder.

"U-uhhhh… I-I… ahh…." she couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Geeze Hinata, I was just teasing. I'm sure someone like you probably thinks of smart things, like new ways to use the Byakugan or something." Naruto felt a little bad for making his friend uncomfortable. He wasn't oblivious to Hinata's social awkwardness, and attributed it to her life in the Hyuga clan. They seemed like they valued quiet and thoughtfulness. In fact, one of the reasons he had asked her to dinner was that he enjoyed the calm that her presence brought. Sometimes he wondered what caused her to make a slight expression, or a quiet noise. He was most intrigued when he caught her glancing in his direction...

"N-Naruto-kun…?" Hinata's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Heh, your thinking is contagious!" He chuckled, glad to see a smile back on her face.

He took the two ends and tied them, making a large loop. Naruto then wove it between his fingers and stretched the string between his two hands. Hinata glanced at his right hand with a tinge of sadness. Although Kurama's chakra had sped up the healing process, Naruto's new arm was still incomplete.

"Hey!" He warned, "Tsunade said I need to lightly exercise my new hand, don't worry!" Naruto recognized her look. Many people were unsure of how to handle his new impairment. He himself didn't feel too bad about it. In his opinion, missing an arm for a few months was a small price to pay for Sasuke's change of heart.

"I haven't played in a while so I'm probably not good…." his words trailed off as he noticed that Hinata's mood had changed to that of serious concentration. Her hands deftly picked out two portions of the string that overlapped. Their skin brushed as she expertly took the string out of his hands and onto her own, forming a new pattern.

Naruto looked up at her face and caught her gaze. Was she… smirking? Hinata's facial expressions were subtle, but his competitive spirit stirred.

"That's what I'm talking about! Give me your best!"

The two of them took turns snatching the string from the other's hands, trying to create a new and more complex pattern. Neither of them could say they didn't enjoy the closeness of the activity. Hinata still tried to avoid touching Naruto's bandaged hand, but that inevitably made it harder not to make contact with his left fingers. Whenever they touched her fingers would leap off his. That was until….

"Hey! Hinata I felt that! You cheated!" Indeed, Hinata had used her Byakugan to subtly manipulate Naruto into messing up his move. She giggled.

"I'm sorry Naruto! I'm used to playing with Hanabi…" She half-lied. Hinata had played the game with his sister before. However, her actions were completely premeditated.

"Yeah, right." he replied, unsure whether or not it had really been intentional. Lately Hinata seemed more outgoing. The pause in the game lead him to look at the clock on the wall.

"Ah, Hinata! It's getting pretty late. We've been playing for a while now." he looked out the doorway to see that the rain had let up some.

"Let me walk you home!"

Hinata's heart jumped. Naruto wanted to walk home with her… but the weather was bad, and he lived much closer to Ichiraku than she did.

"Naruto-kun… you live between here and the Hyuga Complex… I wouldn't want to trouble you…"

"Well then, why don't you walk me home?" He countered. Hinata couldn't find a counter argument, and she really wanted to spend more time with the boy.

"O-okay!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your reviews so far! - Noniway**

"Sayonara!" The two called back into the kitchen as they made their way out the door. Ayame's reply was lost in the sound of the wind in the trees as they stepped out.

Hinata shivered slightly. The rain had lightened considerably, but the wind was cold, a sign of impending winter. They began walking in the direction of Naruto's apartment. In the effort of staying warm, the two walked cross-armed and quiet. The occasional raindrop landed on either of them with a small 'tap', and their trained feet make no sounds.

As a particularly strong gust buffeted them, Hinata pulled up her hood and begin braiding her hair. The movement caused Naruto's eyes to glance over. Though they had interacted some since returning to the village, they hadn't had much time alone. He had never really looked at her before. Seeing her delicate fingers work the strands of her navy locks together was captivating. He stole a look at her face, not wanting to distract her from her work. Her eyes looked ahead, though they looked slightly glazed over while her mind concentrated on what her hands were doing. Despite the cold, Naruto felt a heat rise in his cheeks as his gaze lowered to her mouth. Her lips were slightly parted and pink from the cold. Every time she exhaled a small puff of moisture would escape, only to be swept away by the wind.

Naruto realized he was staring at her, and looked away before she could notice. He had always known that Hinata was pretty, but then again he thought _all_ of his fellow kunoichi were good looking. Apart from that, he hadn't really paid too much attention to their appearances. As they strolled down the street, his thoughts drifted back to the past.

He thought back to his interactions with Hinata over the years. She had been nice to him since they were quite small, and had always held a special place in his heart as someone who believed in him. Fast forward to Pein's Invasion, and he winced as he remembered her battle with Nagato's clone. Hinata fought for him then, and he remembered she had spoken highly of him. Much of that battle was lost on him though. His painful transformation into the nine-tails form had caused him to block out many of those memories. Naruto remembered being thankful that he had not harmed her in his there was the War. If it hadn't been for Hinata, Naruto wouldn't have been able to overcome his grief over Neji's death. She had been right behind him, supporting him up until the Infinite Tsukiyomi had been activated.

Naruto remembered what it had felt like at that time. Having shared his chakra with so many people, it had been overwhelming to feel all of their lives snuffed out in the genjutsu. He suddenly remembered one person in particular calling out his name… Naruto… Naruto!

"Naruto-kun!"

Ripped from his thoughts, he looked over at the source of the outburst. A wet and shivering Hinata stood next to him, and next to his apartment's front door.

"Are you okay? Naruto-kun…?" She looked concerned.

"Ah! Hinata, we're already here?" He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. As he looked at his friend to say goodnight, he felt a pang of guilt. Had he been paying attention instead of daydreaming, Hinata wouldn't be as soaked as she was.

"Hinata… I'm sorry! I guess I got lost in my thoughts… I told you, your thinking is contagious." She didn't say anything. Flustered, he continued. "Do you want to come inside and warm up before going home?"

Hinata's eyes widened. Naruto was asking her into his home.

"Uhh… A-ahhh…N-nnn…!"

Before she could say anything, Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her inside with him. Still shocked, all she could do was stand dripping by the door as he walked in and turned on the light.

"Hinata, my heater is in my room. I'll go grab it." As he walked over to his bedroom door, he paused and pointed to his left. "This is the bathroom, if you need it." and then disappeared.

When he returned Hinata was still standing by the door, looking uncomfortable. He quickly set up the heater and beckoned Hinata next to him. She outstretched her arms as the heat started radiating out.

"Would you like some tea?" He didn't drink much tea, but it was customary to offer when you had company.

"N-no thank you…"

He decided to stand next to her. Silence stretched out between them. Naruto's eyes scanned the room. It hadn't occurred to him how filthy his apartment was. Ramen cups littered the table and kitchen counter. There appeared to be a half-empty milk carton near the stove. There were kunai stuck in his wall from his usual late night boredom. The air smelled faintly of dirty socks.

Suddenly Naruto felt embarrassed about the state of his home. He had never really cared what his friends thought about how he lived, but Hinata was different. First of all, Hinata came from a wealthy family. Her house was probably spotless. Secondly, she was a _girl_. Sakura and Tsunade were the only other girls who had been in his apartment, and they constantly complained about his habits.

He glanced over at Hinata. She had a slight frown on her face.

"Sorry about my place… I guess I didn't realize how dirty it was." He said suddenly. She looked up at him.

"Oh.. no, it's okay... " She smiled. He wasn't convinced she wasn't just saying that.

Hinata was very confused. Things had been going so well at Ichiraku. Ever since they left, though, Naruto had been very quiet. She was worried that she was overstaying her welcome. Not only that, her heart was beating out of her chest. Until he had mentioned the mess, the only thing she had seen in the room was him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! Sorry about the long delay, I had some writers block _and_ school. This last quarter of uni is killing me. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's sort of a transition chapter, it sets the scene for upcoming events! -Noniway**

Hinata looked to the boy on her left. He was staring intently at the kerosene heater on the floor. His lips were shut tight, and he looked irritated. Perhaps he wanted her to leave? She had never interacted with him like this, it was hard to tell what to do. Then again, it was always difficult to express herself around him.

Hinata's feelings for Naruto were strong, but she had since decided they were just friends. She thought she had made it pretty clear on a few occasions how she felt about him. Telling him she loved him, and staying by him in the war. For some reason, though, he had never addressed those things. Could he have forgotten? The battle and his transformation into the Kyuubi had been intense. Even if that were the case, she couldn't muster up the courage to ask about it.

"Hnnnn, Naruto-kun, it's almost nine. I should probably go home, otherwise my father will worry." She secretly hoped he would protest, make some sign that he wanted to continue to be with her.

"Oh, yeah, you're probably right…." He trailed off. "Your dad is pretty scary, and he doesn't seem to like me much…"

His comment about her father felt like a weight in her gut. Although he had been harsh on Naruto in the past, Hiashi had warmed up to him since the end of the war. Not openly, of course. Hinata, however, knew her father well enough to see a change in him whenever the two interacted.

She walked toward the door, "I guess I'll be going then. Thank you for inviting me in." She whispered, her confidence almost gone.

"Oh, okay. Uh, I hope your walk is better than the one on the way here." He replied, somewhat awkwardly. Hinata's heart sank. He didn't even want to walk her home. She opened the door and slipped into the night. Tears rolled down her face as she made her way home.

Now, here she was a month and a half later, still nowhere close to understanding what to do. Hinata had hoped that the end of the war would simplify things. She might even have a shot at getting closer to Naruto. But things had gotten even more complicated. Her feelings for Naruto were no longer just those of love, but of frustration and confusion as well.

She flopped back on her pillow and looked out at the falling snowflakes and sighed.

"Hinata you're a kunoichi, not a damsel." She frowned and sat back up. Naruto had inspired her in many ways, but he would not get her down. She wouldn't let that happen. "I have to keep going, and get stronger. I have to confront him." Hinata tried to sound brave, but was still terrified at the thought.

"Well, you can start by getting out of bed," came a voice from her door. She turned to face Hanabi, leaning against the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" Hinata asked, feeling irritated at her little sister's intrusion.

"Long enough." Hanabi teased as she walked into the room and sat next to Hinata on her bed. "Look sis… I know you love Naruto. Hell, _everyone except Naruto_ knows you love Naruto," she chuckled, "But he's kind of dense. You're going to have to be more direct. More proactive."

"More… proactive?" Hinata repeated. "I know Hanabi… it's just so hard, he's so confusing! I told you about last time…"

"That thing at his place? Geeze Hinata, get over it. It sounds like a big understanding to me. Maybe he was just embarrassed about his place? Although I gotta say, he should have offered to walk you home. That's just polite." the younger sister frowned. "But like I said, he's not exactly smart when it comes to those sort of things."

"You would know." Hinata smirked at her sister. Hanabi had no trouble when it came to boys, and had left several heartbroken in her wake.

"I would."

"Great Hanabi-sensei," Hinata begged, half laughing, "what should I do about Naruto?"

"I think you should go outside and take a walk. Before you can focus on Naruto, you need to focus on yourself. Father, Mother and I haven't seen you at breakfast lately, we're worried." Hanabi reached into her pocket. "Here: I have a list of things for you to get. After you get back we'll talk about Naruto." She handed Hinata a folded piece of paper and stood.

"I'll see you later!" she called, walking out the door.

Hinata got up and walked to her closet, picking out some warm clothes. While she got dressed she opened and surveyed the list:

Hinata's Shopping List:

-Fresh lavender

-Red yarn

-Knitting needles

-Your favorite flowers

-Cinnamon Rolls

Right away it was clear that the last two items were meant to cheer her up. Cinnamon rolls were her favorite food (and sounded really good after skipping breakfast), and she loved to press flowers in her spare time.

The other three items were a bit of a mystery. Obviously Hanabi wanted to knit something red, and the lavender…? Who knew. But her sister was right, a little 'mission' of sorts would help clear her mind.

The snow had stopped falling by the time she passed through the main gate of the Hyuga complex. Hinata made her way down the street to the main shopping area. Citizens of Konohagakure were out in abundance, many of them families. Small children ran ahead of parents, who walked arm in arm. She thought of her own parents, and smiled. Her mother, while saddened by Neji's death, had been overjoyed at their safe return from the battlefield. Since then, it was hard to separate her from the head of the Clan. Hinata wouldn't be surprised if she had another sibling on the way soon.

Her first stop was the craft store. The clerk at the store found her a nice set of bamboo knitting needles. All that was left to do was pick out the yarn. Rather than by color, the yarn was organized by material. Hinata perused the selection, wanting to get the best yarn for her sister. Nothing seemed to stand out. The wool yarn was itchy, the bamboo yarn was dull. There was silk yarn, but it was so thin, there would be no substance to whatever Hanabi was planning to make.

"Excuse me," Hinata quietly got the shop keeper's attention, "Do you have any other red yarns?"

"Ahh… I can tell you have good taste in yarn. We keep all of this supply on display, most folks don't know what they're looking for. We keep the good stuff-" she walked Hinata over to a door and opened it, "In here!"

The room smelled musty, and there wasn't much in the center. Along the walls, however, were shelves crammed with all sizes and colors of yarn.

"Take some time to browse, there are some real treasures in here I'd love to see used." The clerk then walked out, leaving Hinata to her shopping.


End file.
